11 Society – Page 304 – Public Intelligence Blog

Google Comes Under Fire for ‘Secret' Relationship with NSA. Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group largely focused in recent years on Google's privacy practices, has called on a congressional investigation into the Internet giant's “cozy” relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration. In a letter sent Monday, Consumer Watchdog asked Representative Darrell Issa, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to investigate the relationship between Google and several government agencies. Read more….

Phi Beta Iota: Google is to modern cyber-space as Standard Oil & ATT were to previous monopolies. It is doing great evil, no least because it enables violations of the Constitution at the same time that it fails to contribute to an educated citizenry (sense-making). Its computational mathematics are out of this world and neither understood nor regulated–Google can sell the right to show any searcher what the sponsor wants them to see, not what is relevant.

Journal: Consumer Group Calls for Hearings on Google Relations with NSA and CIA, Google’s Global Street-Level Survey of Wi-Fi Packet Interceptability
Event Report CORRECTED LINKS: Responding to Real Time Information, Open Systems and the Obama IT Vision [Google-Microsoft Meld]
Journal: Google Wave–Good, Bad, & Ugly
2009 Arnold Google: The Digital Gutenberg

Woolsey-Pollard and Hayden-Integrity Below the Line…

Continue reading “AFIO Selected Headlines: Google, Woolsey, Hayden”

2011/02/012011/02/01

Monthly CrisisWatch Report N°90, 1 February 2011

01 Poverty, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Immigration, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Terrorism, 10 Security, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, CrisisWatch reports, Government, Law Enforcement, Military

CrisisWatch N°90, 1 February 2011

Historic events in the Arab world gripped the world's attention in January. In Tunisia weeks of escalating riots and demonstrations over dire economic conditions, corruption and government repression culminated in the ouster of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on 14 January. He was replaced by an interim government which announced the country's first free elections since independence.

Download the full issue of CrisisWatch N°90

The direction of Tunisia's transition, and its significance for the region, are not yet clear. But, assuming a successful transition, this could mark the first genuine popular revolt leading to a democratic government in the Arab world.

Inspired by the Tunisian uprising yet fuelled by their own long-standing grievances, hundreds of thousands took to the streets across Egypt towards the end of the month, protesting against authoritarian rule and poor living standards, and calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Over 135 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured during the initial police response. The army was deployed at the end of the month to curb increasing chaos and looting, but vowed not to use force against the protesters.

Continue reading “Monthly CrisisWatch Report N°90, 1 February 2011”

2011/02/012011/02/01

Highlights on the Democracy Front

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Officers Call

Dear friends,

There is need for bright news on the democracy front — and, luckily, there is some. (I'm also working to create some in the background, but I've got nothing to announce yet. Cross your fingers.) So I thought I'd share a bit of it the good stuff I've seen.

The first article is an announcement that the Vermont legislature is planning to become the first state to ban corporate personhood statewide. This is a move in the right direction to balance social power — a topic specifically addressed by the most popular article on the Co-Intelligence Institute website, “Democracy: A Social Power Analysis“, written by my father, John Atlee. (Perhaps you'll get a sense of how my upbringing influenced my choice of career when you read it.)

Vermont Is Gearing Up to Strike a Major Blow to Corporate Personhood, Ban It Statewide

AlterNet by Christopher KetchamJanuary 22, 2011

The second article below is an interview with Frances Moore Lappé, one of my early mentors (see “Living Democracy“) exploring themes in her new book GET A GRIP 2. She invites us to both work wholeheartedly on the issues that concern us AND to work on changing the systems (such as money's influence in politics) that create the problems we are trying to solve.

Continue reading “Highlights on the Democracy Front”

2011/01/312011/01/31

Resources for Powerful Conversations

11 Society, Augmented Reality, Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Methods & Process

Dear friends,

A large and growing body of knowledge exists about how to carry on powerful conversations — methodologies, facilitation know-how, dynamic understandings, and more. This knowledge informs professions ranging from therapy to diplomacy and conflict resolution, from organizational development to creativity and innovation, from community revitalization to activism and deliberative democracy, from family relationships to education and spiritual development.

At the leading edge of the deeper understandings of conversation's power are innovative contributions like Peggy Holman's recent book Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity, and her related earlier paper, Engaging Emergence — and the ambitious project to create a “pattern language” for group process now nearing its first stage release by Tree Bressen, Co-Intelligence Institute president John Abbe, and many others (including me).

Stepping back from the leading edge, we find a wealth of incredible knowledge, broadly useful in many aspects of life. Over the last year I've found some excellent resources about this, compilations of pathways into and around the world of powerful conversational practice. You'll find these resources in this email.

One amazing compilation is the “Best-of-the-Best Resources about Dialogue and Deliberation” compiled by Sandy Heierbacher, coordinator of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD). Read over her list below and, if you find something interesting, go to the original URL. There you will find active links to virtually everything on her list.

Building on Sandy's work, I've developed an additional list, given first below: “The Best Online Compilations of Conversational and Participatory Processes”. Together, the sites linked there describe and link you to well over a hundred different processes.

May this information serve you well in your efforts to serve your groups, your community, your organization, your world and the unfolding future we all share.

Blessings on the Journey.

Coheartedly,

Tom

Lists with Links Below the Line….

Continue reading “Resources for Powerful Conversations”

2011/01/302011/01/30

Muslim Demographics–Dominant by 2050)

06 Family, 07 Health, 08 Immigration, 11 Society, Advanced Cyber/IO, Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, YouTube

Muslim Demographics (7:31)

2.11 children per family required to maintain a culture.

Muslims births outpacing Christians including Catholics

Muslim immigration plus immigrant birthrate swamping West

Phi Beta Iota: When governments lack a strategic analytic model and a holistic as well as honest planning, programming, and policy process, they fail to provide for culture and education as well as water and other essentials. The era of governments being “in charge” appears to be winding down. The era of hybrid networks leveraging shared information to achieve consensus on “who are we and who do we want to be” appears emergent. This is advanced cyber/information operations in gestation.

See Also:

2 Roosters Can't Make an Egg (2:46)

Phi Beta Iota: Lesbians and Gays are biological way stations between female (the default for everyone) and male. The Industrial Era impact on agriculture, family, food, health, and bio-economics is still not understood. The reality is that between dropping sperm counts and bio-cultural changes including growing industrial-based diseases, the West is committing cultural suicide.

2011/01/282011/01/31

Egyptian Protests Live Video (Al Jazeera) / “Revolution-in-Progress”

08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Government, Law Enforcement, Media, Military, Videos/Movies/Documentaries

Comment: Kuwait gov paying citizens money and food mentioned during the broadcast as a move to pacify and prevent uprisings by Kuwait citizens.

Preconditions of Revolution in the USA Today

Continue reading “Egyptian Protests Live Video (Al Jazeera) / “Revolution-in-Progress””

2011/01/272011/01/27

Event: 16-17 Feb, NYC, Intelligent Infrastructure hosted by The Economist

03 Economy, 11 Society, Academia, Civil Society, Commerce, Government, Media, Non-Governmental

From their website: “The Economist believes that human progress relies on the advancement of good ideas. The Ideas Economy brings together top thinkers from around the world, and you, to discuss and debate the most important ideas of our time.”
Comment: “..the most important ideas of our time.” Cost: between $595-$1,595 (+$9.95 fee). Why not have a more affordable entrance fee if the ideas are the most important? At least stream the event live for a very affordable fee (or free).

Speakers:
+Vivek Kundra – Chief Information Officer US
+Frank Gehry – Partner of Gehry Partners
+Nicholas Negroponte – Founder/Chairman of One Laptop per Child
+Richard Newell – Admin U.S. Energy Info Admin
+Henry Cisneros – Chairman CityView
+Judith Rodin – President The Rockefeller Foundation
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Programme/Agenda